This publication presents information about the labour force experience of persons aged 15 years and over during the 12 months ending February 2011. It presents information about time spent in labour force activities, including episodes of working or looking for work, and time spent out of the labour force.

The statistics in this publication were compiled from data collected in the Labour Force Experience Survey conducted throughout Australia in February 2011 as a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS).

For this publication, labour force activity over a 12-month period was determined from a more limited set of questions than is used in the monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). For this reason, the terms worked and looked for work are used, rather than the more precisely defined terms employed and unemployed, as used in the LFS. In this survey, the concepts worked and looked for work are used to determine whether a person was in the labour force during the year. Therefore, this concept is also based on a more limited set of questions than the Labour Force Survey.

Labour force experience relates to a person's labour force activities over a 12-month period. Labour force activity consists of either working or looking for work.

This survey measured the number of weeks in which persons were engaged in these labour force activities during the year, the number of spells of looking for work during the year and the main activity of persons when not in the labour force.

IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTERS

No significant operational difficulties were experienced in conducting the LFS in February 2011. A small number of households from the sample were not able to be enumerated due to either flood or cyclone damage to the dwelling, or road closures preventing access to the dwelling. The small amount of sample loss did not have a statistically significant impact on the estimates. For further information on how the ABS responded to the Queensland floods refer to the article Impact of the Floods on the Labour Force Survey in the January 2011 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

Tables presenting data for persons aged 15-69 years have been removed from this issue as the scope of this survey has applied to all persons aged 15 years and over since 2007.

FUTURE ISSUES

As part of a review of supplementary surveys to the monthly LFS, this issue of Labour Force Experience may be the last.

ROUNDING

As estimates have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of component items and totals.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Labour Market Statistics Section on Canberra (02) 6252 7206, email <labour.statistics@abs.gov.au>.